cases, cancer is synonymous with death. She feels that not enough has been done about prevention in our country. This has prompted her to offer the quit tobacco program based on a multi-pronged approach that works effectively under typical Indian conditions.

She offers a comprehensive approach to quit your tobacco habit irrespective of its duration or frequency. Her passion stems from the fact that tobacco addiction is not taken seriously enough in our society and ends up destroying lives and families.

Towards this end, we have incorporated a work of art, ‘happy family’, by Frank Waaldijk in our banner. To view more of his work, please visit http://www.fwaaldijk.nl/.

The Doctor’s Mentors

The cancer of the head, face and neck is most common in India due to the large number of tobacco abusers. As an ear-nose-throat surgeon, Dr. Lodaya encountered nearly 100,000 suspected cases of cancer in his career spanning more than 30 years.

Having witnessed the travails of tobacco abusers and their families at close quarters, he tried his best to convince his patients to quit tobacco before it caused irreversible damage.

As Dr. Lodaya’s daughter, Dr. Chasmawala witnessed his work and dedication towards his patients. This has inspired her to develop the Quit Tobacco Program.

Dr. Bhat was Dr. Chasmawala’s guide and mentor at Nair Hospital Dental College. Dr. Bhat had several national and international accolades to his credit in the field of Oral Pathology.

Perhaps, Dr Bhat’s most significant contribution to the lives of the Indian people was his tireless lobbying to ‘convince’ the government authorities to display statutory warnings on paan masala and gutkha packets.

Dr. Chasmawala was fortunate to be a part of his team that conducted research on gutkha and its effects on the inner lining of the human mouth.